Coin controlled apparatus



y 1932- A. H. DU GPENIER 1,868,887

COIN UUNIRO UL-LI) APPARATUS Original Filed July 13, 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet l jnvereiazf, I I

l/ I z I M y 26, 1932- A. H. DU GRENIER 1,868,887

COIN CONTROLLED APPARATUS Original Filed July 13, 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 July 26, 1932.

A. H. DU GRENIER COIN CONTROLLED APPARATUS Original Filed July 13, 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 lil'llllll I Patented July 26, 1932 UNITED srArEs.

PATENT OFFICE com conrnonmn grammes Original application. filed this application This application is a division of my application filed July 13, 1929, Serial Numher 377 ,946 (patented Sept. 1, 1931, No. 1,821,501) an primarily relates to'check control apparatus which is particularly designed'for use in connection wish lye "ding machines of the so-called selecti lie, in i which the machine is adapted to deliver different articles of the samegeneral character,

as difi'erent: brands of cigarettes, and "which are so arranged that the purchaser may select the particular article which he desires and then may insert the necessary coin or coins, and operate the mechanism to deliver controlled mechanism showing the parts in difierent positions.

16 the article selected, although various novel features of the invention may be advantageously employed in connection with machines of the non-selective type, or which vend articles which are identical. I

In machines of this character it is a practical necessity that any coin, or coins, slugs or any other form of check which is inserted,

shall be restored, unless the article which it is desired to purchase is delivered, and with $5 machines of the selective type where various compartments are emptied at random, it is particularly desirable 'to have the check which is inserted restored even before the machine can be operated to' deliver the article, in case no article would be delivered if it were operated, and, where it is necessary to insert a plurality of coins to secure the delivery of the article it is necessary that all coins which are inserted be returned in case an insuflicient number are inserted, or in case one or more is defective.

The objects of the present invention are to provide check controlled mechanism suitable for use in connection with an endless chain carrier .from which various different articles may be dispensed, wh ch will immediately return any coin which is inserted in case the compartment is empty which will be moved into posit on for delivery when the machine is operated for this purpose, which will, act to permit delivery of goods only when a predetermined plurality of perfect coins have been inserted, and which will always restore the coin or coins which have 50 been inserted in case the number which have my 1:, 1929, Serial No. $77,940, and in Germany June as, 1880. name u'a filed-February 24,1931; 'Serl'al in. 517,816.

been inserted is insufiicient, or in case any one of them is defective or does not comply with standard requirements.

. These and other objects are accom lished by means of the construction hereina r described, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which: i-

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the outer casing. i

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the packa carrier compartment which is employe Fig. 3 is detail front view of a portion of carrier compartment.

. Figs. 4 and 5 are side elevations of the coin Fig.6 is an elevpation of the inner side of the partition carrying said mechanism;

Fig. 7 isa detail plan view of the coin actuator. I

. Fig. 8 is a detail view of the delivery door locking levers. Fig. 9 is a. detail sectional view of one of the coin passages. 1

Fig. 10 is a sectional view at line y-y of Fig. 4. Y I

Fig. 11 is a detail view in perspective of a portion of the coin returning mechanism.

As shown in the drawings, the outer casing 1 is provided with a removable front' side 2 having an elongated window 3, an inspection window 4, and a delivery opening 5. The operating means of the coin controlling mechanism of the machine is principally mounted on a partition 6, which issecured to spacing brackets on the outer side of a carrier compartment having side walls 7, 8 between which the package holding and delivering mechanism is mounted.

The machine illustrated is primarily de- 9 signed for the sale of articles in package form, in the present instance, cigarettes in the original package and a form of carrier, which will hold the maximum number of packages .in a space of but slightly greater width than 96 the package to be vended, is considered to be a vertically disposed endless chain carrier of the type shown, which comprises a to sprocket wheel which is mounted on'a sha t 11, journaled in bearing plates 12, secured on 1 are disposed transversely of the casing midway between the front and back sides thereof. The endless chain, .forming the carrier; for

holding the articles or packages to be vended,

is 'made up from a series of package holders, which are connected by pivot rods 20. Each package holder is formed from a single piece of sheet metal bent to provide a pair of top and bottom shelves 22 and 23 which extend in parallel relation to each other. The shelves 23 are somewhat shorter than the shelves 22, which are provided with end notches 24 for a purpose to be explained.

The sprockets are each provided with fournotches in their peripheries arranged 90 apart and adapted to receive the projecting end portions of the pivot rods 20, so that,

when any one of the holders is directly be-,, neath the lower sprocket 14, so that it depends perpendicularly, the two adjacent holders will project approximately horizontally in opposite directions, as shown in Fig. 2, in which position the holder which projects at the front side of the machine, at the level of the axis of the wheel 14, will have its open end directly opposite the inspection opening 4, so that the end of a package contained by said holder will be clearly visible through the glass which closes said opening.

Means are provided for actuating the car: rier progressively by the distance between each holder, which comprise an actuating wheel 25, on the end of shaft 15, which projects through. partition 6, having four notches 26 in its periphery spaced 90 apart and four projecting lugs 27 on one side correspondingly spaced. The main operating lever 28 of the machines is of hell crank form and is mounted on a pivot bolt 29 secured in a bracket on the partition 6, so that the lever swings in a plane parallel to that in which wheel 25 rotates, and is movable up and down in a vertical slot 30 in the front wall of the casing.

A coin-carrier, or actuator 32 is mounted to slide horizontally forwardly and rearwardly on the outer side of partition 6, being partly guided in its movement by screws 35, 36 which extend through horizontal slots 6 in partition 6, and by a horizontal coin supporting shelf 33, on partition 6, which pro jects into a slot 34 in said actuator. A cylindrical lug 37 on the actuator extends into a slot 38 in lever 28, so that, when the handle at the outer end of the latter is depressed, the actuator will be moved forwardly. A spring 39 is connected to the actuator and acts to return these parts when they have been moved to front position and a pawl 40 is mounted on partition 6 and is arranged to engage teeth 41 on the actuator and to prevent return movement of the latter before it has been moved to its forward osition, so that lever 28 will always have to e pusheddown to its limit before it can return. A locking dog 42 is mounted on .a pivot 43 at the inner side of pattition 6 and is provided with an angular end portion 42, which extends through the partition into position to engage wheel 25 in any one of its notches 26, a spring 44 being attached to said'dog to hold it "in engaging position, as shown in Fig. 6. A finger 45 is ivoted at 46 to the opposite end of said dog iiom its end portion 42 and is held in position; to be engaged by the head of screw 35, which acts as a cylindrical projection on the actuator 32, so that, as the latter is moved forward, the dog 42 will be lifted out of engagement with wheel 25 permitting the lat ter to rotate. ,LA'dog 47 is pivoted at 48 on the actuator 32 and held in position to enfgage one ofthe lugs 27 on wheel 25 as the dog 42 becomes disengaged therefrom, so that, during the remainder of the forward movement of the actuator, the wheel will be rotated one quarter of a revolution, causing corresponding movement of the sprocket 14, and the carrier chain, and thus moving a holder or compartment of the carrier from the inspection position opposite the window 4 to the delivery positionin which the compartment opens directly downward at its end.

As soon as the wheel 25 has been rotated forwardly far enough to carry its notch 26 beyond the end of dog 42, the screw head 35 will pass over the finger 45, so that the end portion 42" ,will be engaged with the periphery of wheel 25 and, at the end of the forward movement of actuator 32, will pass into the next notch 26 and again lock the wheel 25, and consequently the carrier, against movement in either direction, this locking action occurring before the pawl 40 permits the return movement of the actuator and operating lever. On the return movement of the actuator and lever, the finger 45 yields to permit the head 35 to pass thereover and the dog 47 also yields to permit the same to pass over the next lug 27 on the wheel 25, the parts ghus being returned to the normal position of ig. 4.

The mechanism for preventing or permitting delivery of the package from each compartment when it is moved into the delivery position, above referred to, comprises a door 50, which is pivotally mounted at 51 in the sides 7, 8 of the carrier compartment, said door being of a width slightly less than the distance between said sides and extending from its pivot at a point in front of the lower sprocket wheel and close to the path of movement of the package holders, downwardly and rearwardly beneath said wheel, when in closed position, the inner or top side of the door being curved to correspond to said ath, so that the ends of the shelves 22 of the olders pass in close proximity to the surface of the door and the door completely closes the delivery passage from the carrier, or the space from the front wall to a bottom partition 52, which extends downwardly and forwardly close to the path of movement of the ends of shelves 22, to form a practically continuous surface with the top side of the door, and then extends obliquely rearward and downward to the back side of the casing and then forwardly and downwardly to the bottom of the delivery opening 5, to form a delivery chute for the package, as shown in dotted outline in Figs. 4' and 5. The door, when in closed position, supports the packages as they are carried beneath the lower sprocket wheel and prevents all possibihty of access from the outside to the contents of the carrier, and, when the door is in the open position, down to which its swings, when unlocked, as shown in Fig. 5. The package in the compartment directly beneath the lower sprocket will be free to fall onto the chute portion of the bottom 52, so that .it will slide into a position in which it may be readily secured by the purchaser.

The means for locking the door in closed position and for releasing it, to permit it to open, comprises a bell crank lever 53, which is mounted on the pivot 51 of door 50 to swing therewith, one arm 53 of said lever being engaged by a pin 54, which extends thru a slot 6 in partition 6, so that the door 50 and lever 53 swing together. The other arm 53 of lever 53 has a right angularly projection 53 which is arranged to be engaged, when the door is in closed position, by a pair of locking levers 55, 56, shown in detail in Fig. 8, which are mounted side by side to swing about a pivot 57 fixed in partition 6. Said levers 55, 56 each have a depending arm and a rearwardly extending arm, and each depending arm is provided with a shoulder or hook 58, 59 at its end arranged to engage the projection 53 of lever 53 and hold the door 50 in closed position, as shown in Fig. 4. The rearwardly' extending arm of said levers have coin engaging faces 60, 61 respectively at their ends. for purposes to be explained. Springs 62, 63 are connected to said levers 55, 56 and tend to swing their depending arms into engagement with the projection 53. The arm 53 is connected by a link 64 to one end of a lever 65, mounted at its opposite end on a pivot 66 and a bow-spring 67 is mounted on a pivot 68 at one end and has a hook 69 at its opposite end arranged for engagement with a pin 70 on lever 65. A lever 71 is mounted on a pivot 72, which extends thru a slot 73 in said lever 71, so that the latter may both swing and slide longitudinally on said pivot 72, and one end of lever 71 is connected by pivot 7 4 to an intermediate portion of lever 65. A dog (5, is mounted on the opposite end portion of lever 71 and connected thereto by pivot 76, a stop pin 77 in lever 71 limiting the downward swinging movement thereof. A friction roll 78 is mounted in the end of dog 75, and by its gravity, assisted by a spring, holds the dogagainst the stop pin 77.

A plate 80 is mounted to slide vertically on the inner side of a flange formed at the front edge of partition 6, directly in the rear of the lever slot therein and the operating lever 28 extends therethru, so that the plate 80 slides up and down as the lever is operated and acts to close the slot in flange 9 in all positions of said lever. A projection 81 is mounted on the inner side of-plate 80 and has inclined top and bottom sides arranged to be engaged with the friction roll 78 on lever 71. When the door 50 is in open position, the lever 53 being unlocked, the parts will be in the position of Fig. 5. in which position lever 71 will be pushed for ward and swing upward at its front end, so

that, if lever 28 is depressed while the door 50 is open, projection 81 will engage roll 78, causing lever 71 to be swung downward and pushed rearward. so that lever 65, acting thru link 64, will swing lever 53 and move the door 50 to closed position. If levers 55, 56 are in locking position. the projection 53 will push said levers aside and then projection 81 will pass roll 78, or become disengaged therefrom. so that. when released. spring 67 will cause lever 53 to swing back and be caught by levers 55, 56, and the parts will be locked in the position of Fig. 4. If. however, the levers 55. 56 should be held out of locking position, in the manner to be explained, then the lever 53 would again swing down so as to permit the door 50 to open.

If the parts are in the locked position of Fig. 4 and the operating lever 28 is depressed, the following action will takev place. As the slide 80 is forced downward, thefront end of lever 71 will be momentarily depressed.

causing lever 65 to be thrown rearward and the arm 53 of lever 53 to be thrown forward 'so as to move its projection 53 back out of engagement with the shoulders 58. 59 of levers 55, 56, so that if the latter are. at that instant, thrown rearward out of locking position, as soon as the projection 81 passes out of engagement with the roll '78, releasing lever 71. the spring 67, acting on lever 65 and aided by the gravity of the door 50, and other parts, will cause lever 53 to swing rearward to the position of Fig. 5 and out of a position in which it will be locked by levers 55. 56, when they are returned to normal position. On the up movement of plate 80 the pawl 75 is merely lifted to permit projection 81 to pass.

With theabove described construction, if, when lever 28 is depressed, the locking levers tion, the door will remain open. When the lever 28 is again depressed, the door will be closed again during the initial portion of the movement of the lever.

It will be apparent therefore, that when the lever 28 is depressed, if the door is open, it will immediately be closed, and if it was closed at the beginning of the depressing movement,

it will either immediately be opened against,

or will be locked in closed position, or remain so duringthelatterpart of said movement, according to whether the locking levers and 56 have both been moved to unlocked position, or have been held, one or both, in looking position. After operating lever 28 has been operated once while the locking levers are in locking position, continued operation of the.

operating lever, without moving both locking levers to unlocking position, merely causes the carrier to be propelled by the distance corresponding to space occupied by each compartment, or package holder, this usually being done to bring the desired package into position for delivery.

One of the features of the invention is to provide a machine which will deliver the articles to be vended only on the insertion of a plurality of practically perfect coins, in the present instance a dime and a nickel. A projection on the flange 9 of partition 6 eX- tends through the front wall 2 and is provided with adime slot 82 and a nickel slot 83 arranged one above the other opening to coin passages similarly arranged in a fixed, inclined coin testing member 84 and a swinging coin testing member 85, mounted on partition 6, said members being provided with suitable means for testing the coins as to thickness, diameter and magnetism, so that, if the diameter of the check inserted is not up to standard, it will immediately fall from the coin passage into a coin returning tube 86, which opens to the package delivery passage 5, where it may be retrieved, or if it is over size either in thickness, or diameter, or is magnetic, or has a hole in it. it will lodge between said members and will be returned when the lever 28 is depressed. The coin passages between the members 84, 85 open to separate passages which extend downward and open to coin receiving recesses 90, 91 arranged side by side in the actuator 32, see Fig. 7, into which the dime and nickel, if up to standard, will fall and be supported on shelf 33. Ordinarily the coins will be inserted when the-actuator is in its initial, or retracted position but, in any event they will fall therein when the actuator is peturned to this position. The rear ends of said recesses serve as abutments for engaging the coins and forcing them forwardly on shelf 33, as the actuator is advanced, so that when the latter is advanced, the top edges of the coins carried thereby will be forced, respectively, against the faces and 61 of levers 55, 56, which are normally held in the paths of the coins, causing said faces to be forced upward and said levers to be swung to an inoperative position by the time the coins are forced past said faces, so that the lever 53 may move to its unlocked position and the opening of the door 50 will be permitted as before described.

As soon as the points of greatest diameter of the coins have been moved past the faces 60, 61, or from the shelf 33, they will be carried beyond the end of said shelf and, by the time the actuator has been moved to its extreme front position, the coins will fall from the shelf into the entrance of a coin passage 92, on the inner or back side of partltion 6, which opens through said partition into a hopper formed by a plate 93 on the front side of said partition. The coin passage 92 ex tends downward and opens into the delivery passage 5, so that, if for any reason both lookmgilevers 55, 56 are not moved by the coins su ciently to unlock the door 50, to permit it to open and permit delivery of the package, the coin or coins which have been inserted will be returned to the purchaser. For example, if one coin only is inserted, only one locking lever will be moved, so that the coin which was inserted will be returned.

The space between the partition 6 and the outer casing 1 may, for convenience, be considered as a coin passage, in .the bottom of which is a coin receptacle 94, so that any coin which is delivered into this space will fall into said receptacle. For the purpose of causing the coins, which act to move the locking levers so as to permit the door 50 to open and deliver a package, to pass into said space and fall into the coin receiver 94, an opening 95 is formed thru partition 6, which opens into the coin passage 92, and a deflector 96 is mounted on pivot rod 97, supported on lugs 98 on the outer side of partition 6, said deflector consisting of a flat plate adapted and arranged to close the opening 95 when in the full line portion of Fig. 9 and to be swung across the passage 92, so that its top edge engages the inner opposite side of said passage, as shown in the dotted line position of Fig. 9, in which position a coin delivered to the top of said passage will fall onto the deflector and be directed thru the opening 95 into the space between the partition 6 and outer casing, so that it will fall into the coin receiver 94. The pivot rod 97 is bent to provide an arm 97 at one end, which extends thru partition 6 and is engaged by a spring 99, on the inner side of the partition, as shown in Fig. 6, said spring acting to press the arm 97* downward and to swing the deflector into the dotted line position of Fig. 0. The arm 53 of lever 53 is provided with a projection 100, so arranged that when said lever is swung upward, to close the door 50, it will engage the under side of the arm 97 and swing the deflector into the position to close the opening 95, so that, so long as the door 50 is closed, the deflector will be held by lever 53 in position to permit all coins delivered to the hopper 93, to pass down the passage 92 into the delivery passage, so that they will be returned, but, as soon as the lever 58 is moved to open the door, it will become disengaged from arm 97, permitting spring 99 to .move the deflector from its coin-rejecting to its coin-receiving position, the timing of these parts with relation to that of the coin actuator 32 being such that if the lever 53 is unlocked at all, it will be unlocked and moved to permit the deflector to move into coin receivin g position before the coins fall from the shelf 33. The machine is thus normally set to return the coins and can only be set to retain them when the package is delivered.

The means whereby the coins or checks which are inserted are returned when they are not permitted to pass to the coin actuator, or where the compartment which will next be moved into delivering position is empty, is illustrated in Fig. 11. This means comprises a lever 101, which ismounted on a pivot 102 on the inner side of partition (Sand is pivotally connected at its front end to a bar 103, which is engaged with an inwardly extending arm 104 011 the swinging coin testing member 85. The rear end of lever 101 is normally drawn downward at its rear end by a spring 105, at its rear end, and has an inclined face 101 arranged to be engaged by the rear screw head or projection 36 on the actuator 32, so that when the latter is advanced, the bar 103 will immediately be pulled down, causing member 85 to be swung away from member 84:, so that any coins which have become lodged therebetween will fall into tube 86 and be returned, and member 85 will be held in this position by the actuator until the latter has been returned to its normal, or retracted position, so that, if a coin should be inserted while the operating lever is partly depressed, the coin will immediately be returned. A rod 106 is pivoted in bearings 107 on the front edges of the sides 7, 8 and is provided with a finger 108, which is arranged to be engaged with the outer end of the package in each compartment, as such compartment is moved into position for inspection thru the opening 4. An arm 109 is also extended from rod 106 and a spring 110 is connected thereto in position to swing the finger 108 into engagement with the package, as shown in Fig. 3, or into the notch 24 in the shelf 22 of the compart-' ment which is in the position for inspection opposite opening 4. The bar 103 has a for.-

111, and prevent the bar 103 from being lifted,

so as to prevent member 85 from returning to normal position. Consequently, if the compartment above the one which is in position for inspection is empty, when the carrier is actuated, so that the empty compartment is moved into position for inspection, the member 85, which will have been swung upward by the actuating movement, will not be permitted to return to normal, and, if a coin is then inserted, it will immediately be returned thru tube 86.

\Vith the above described construction, the single operating lever 28 is oscillated to move the carrier to a position in which the desired package therein will be delivered on the next operation of the lever, after the necessary coins have been inserted, so that both the selecting and delivering operations are controlled by a single operating device, which is merely oscillated to perform both operations. In all instances the coins or checks inserted will be returned if the package is not delivered and will only be retained in the machine when the packa e is delivered. Also, the delivery of the package is secured only when coins ofthe required denomination and number are inserted.

The package selected is held close to a window in the front side'of the machine, in which position one of its sides may be easily inspected, so that the purchaser may be sure that the package thus exhibited is the one desired, and then, when the machine is operated, the compartment in which the package is held is moved from a horizontal to a vertical position, so that the package may readily fall therefrom. The door which normally supports the packages, as they are carried about the bottom sprocket, swings away from the carrier, so that the package is free to fall from the compartment 1n which it was held, into the delivery passage, and the door remains open until the next time the operating lever is pushed down,

so that, if the package, for any reason. should fail to fall from the compartment, the purchaser may readily reach it and remove it 1 through the delivery opening. At the same time, it is, however, impossible to remove the packages from either of the two adjacent compartments, which will be held in horizontal positions with their open ends closed by the adjacent casings.

The door is held in locked position by a I plurality of locking devices corresponding to the number of coins which are to be invsierted, each of which engage the same door each compartment into a position for inspection, operating means for moving the carrier to move the compartment which is in the position for inspection into a position for delivery, check controlled means permitting delivery from a compartment when a check has been received thereby while the compartment was in the position for inspection, check restoring means, and controlling means for said check restoring means normally held in an inoperative position by its engagement with an article to be delivered. contained in any of the compartments when the compartment is in the position forn'nspection, and automatically actuated to move into an operative position whenalrempty compartment is moved into said position for inspection.

2. In a check controlled apparatus, an endless carrier having a series of compartments for holding the articles to be vended, a casing for said carrier having an inspection opening and a delivery passage, means for holding said carrier in a series of predetermined positions in each of which one of said compartments will be in a position for inspection through said opening and an adja--' cent compartment will be in' a position for delivery to said passa e, an operating device for advancin sai carrier and moving the compartment in position for inspection into position for delivery, check receiving means, and check restoring meansincluding a detecting device arranged to be normally held in an inoperative position by its engagement with an article to be vended contained in a compartment when in position for inspection and to be automatically moved into an operative position when an empty compartment is moved into said position for inspection, to cause a check which is then placed in said receiving means to be restored.

3. In a check controlled apparatus, an endless carrier having a series of compartments for holding the articles to be vended, a casing for said carrier having an inspection opening and a delivery passage, means for holding said carrier in a series of predetermined po- .sitions in each of which one of said compartments will be in a position for inspection through said opening and an adjacent compartment will be in a position for deliveryto said passage, an operating device for advancing said carrier and moving the compartment in position for inspection into position for delivery, check receiving means, check restoring means, and a spring actuated finger for controlling said check restoring means arranged to beheld in an inoperative position by a package to be vended when contained in a compartment while in said position for inspection, and to be moved to an check directing device normally held in a check rejecting position and movable to a check retaining position, and means controlled by said locking device for normally holding said check directing. device in its cheek rejecting position when said locking device is in its normal position and for moving said check directing device to its check retaining position when said locking device is moved to permit said dispenser to be moved to its delivering position. 5. In a check controlled apparatus, a casing having check restoring and check retaining compartments, an article dispenser movable between article delivering and retaining positions','a locking device normally operative to hold said dispenser in its article retaining position, a check deflector movable between an inoperative position in which it directs a check'delivered thereto into said restoring compartment and an operative position in which it directs the check into said retaining compartment, and means controlled by said locking device for moving saiddeflector from its inoperative to its operative position when said locking device is moved to its inoperative position and for returning it to its inoperative position when said dispenser is returned to its retaining position.

6. A check controlled apparatus comprising a casing having a check retaining and a check restoring passage branching from each other, a check deflector at thejunction of said retaining and restoring passages, an article dispenser movable between a normal position in which it prevents, and a position in which it permits delivery of an article from said casing, a locking device normally acting to hold said dispenser in normal position, a

check actuator movable to actuate said lock-' ing device to unlock said dispenser and deliver a check at the junction of said retaining and restoring passages and means controlled by said dispenser for holding said deflector in position to direct the check delivered by said actuator into said restoring passage when the dispenser'is in normal position, and in position to direct it into said retaining passage when the dispenser is moved to delivery position.

7. In a check controlled apparatus, a casmg having check restoring and check retaining compartments, a check deflector movable to direct a check delivered thereto into either of said compartments, a dispenser movable between a closed position in which it prevents, and an open position in which it permits delivery of an article from said casing, a locking device normally operative to hold said dispenser in closed position, a check actuator operatively movable when a check has been delivered thereto, to move said locking device to an inoperative position and thereafter to deliver the check to said deflector, and means controlled by said dispenser for holding said deflector in its check restoring position when said dispenser is closed and for moving it to its check retaining position when said dispenser is opened.

8. In a check controlled apparatus, a casing having check restoring and check retaining compartments, an article dispenser movablebetween an article retaining and an article delivering position, a plurality of locking devices each movable independently of the other between an operative position in which it holds said dispenser in its article retaining position and an inoperative position in which it permits movement thereof to its article delivering position a check actuator arranged to move a corresponding plurality of checks from a receiving to a delivering position and to engage each check as it is moved thereby with the corresponding locking device, to move the same to its inoperative position, and means controlledv by said dispenser for directing the checks delivered by said actuator into said check restoring compartment when the dispenser is held in its article retaining position at the e d of the delivering movement of said actua or, and for directing the checks into said check retaining compartment when the dispenser has been moved to its article delivering position before they are delivered by the actuator.

9. In a check controlled apparatus, an article dispenser movable between an article retaining and an article delivering position, a plurality of locking devices each movable independently of the other between an operative position in which it holds said dispenser in its article retaining position and an inoperative position in which it permits movement thereof to its article delivering position, a check actuator having a corresponding plurality of check receiving compartments and movable between check-receiving and delivering positions, means arranged to be actuated by each-check delivered to said actuator to move the corresponding locking device to its inoperative position, a check restoring and a check retaining compartment, and means controlled by said locking devices for 'directing the checks delivered by said actuator into said check restoring compartment when any one of said locking devices remains in its operative position at the end of the delivering movement of said actuator and for directing the checks into said retaining compartment when all of said locking devices have been moved to their inoperative positions at the end of said delivering movement.

10. In a check controlled apparatus, an article dispenser movable between an articleretaining and an article delivering position, a plurality of locking devices each movable independently of the other between an operative position in which it holds said dispens-er in its article retaining position, and an inoperative position in which it permits movement thereof to its article delivering position, a check actuator having a corresponding plurality of check receiving compartments and movable between check receiving and delivering positions, means arranged to be actuated by each check delivered to said actuator to move the corresponding looking device to its inoperative position, a check restoring and a checkretaining compartment, a check deflector normally disposed to direct the cheek delivered by said actuator into said restoring compartment and means controlled by said locking devices for moving said deflector to a position to direct the checks delivered by said actuator into said retaining compartment only when all of said locking devices have been moved to their inoperative positions.

11. In a check-controlled vending ma-' chlne, a casing having an article delivery openlng, a check retaining and a check restoring passage, an article dispenser movable between a closed position in which it prevents, and an 0 en position in which it permits delivery 0 articles to said delivery opening, a pair of locking devices each normally operative to lock said dispenser in closed position and independently movable to an inoperative position, a check actuator having a pair of check receiving compartments and movable to carry the checks therein into position to move said locln'ng devices to their inoperative positions, a check deflector normally disposed to direct the checks carried by said actuator, at the end of its operative movement, into said check restoring passage, and means controlled by said locking devices for moving said deflector to direct the checks into said check retaining passage when said dispenser is unlocked and moved to its open position.

12. In a check controlled apparatus, a check tester having a pair of check receivin g passages and means for testing the checks placed therein, a check restoring conductor leading from said tester into which intercepted checks are discharged, at check actuator having a pair of check receiving compartments arranged to receive the checks mally h .sit-ion, means arran from said gassages respectively means for moving sai actuator from its cbeck receiving position to a check delivering position, an article dispenser having a pair ofindependentlg movable locking devices for nor.- ding the same in an inoperative pm (1 to be operated by each check as it is move by said actuator to said delivery position to move the corresponding locking device to inoperative position, and a check directing device arranged to be controlled by said dispenser to restore the checks delivered by said actuator when the dispenser remains in its inoperative position after said actuator has been moved to its delivering position and to retain the checks delivered thereby when the dispenser is moved to its operative position.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

ARTHUR H. DU GRENIER. 

